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Wednesday, October 05, 2016

Moral Confusion: Most Important, LGBT Rights Or Religious Freedom?

A new study from Pew Research Center shows Americans are about evenly divided on which is more important: LGBT rights or religious freedom?

This moral confusion is reflected in our culture and our institutions.

Public voices are pushing back and asking others to do so as well.

Franklin Graham was asking Monday on Facebook why the Obama Administration is spending $8.4 million tax payer dollars for gender reassignment and hormone therapy on people who are confused about their gender.

Jason Benham is asking why we are teaching our children some people are neither boy nor girl.

Sports commentator and former NFL star Terry Bradshaw said Monday, you can't even say "Jesus" any more without severe consequences---but you can refuse to recognize our National Anthem with no consequence.

I will have some comments on last night's vice-presidential debate today on our live radio program. You may join me live on the radio, on your computer or on your phone at 9 AM Pacific Time. Here's how.

The Pew Survey of more than 4,500 adults finds that Americans are divided as to whether LGBT "rights" or religious freedom is most important in our culture.

About 48% believe that businesses which provide wedding services should be allowed to refuse service for gay "weddings" if the owner has religious objections---49% say the business owner should be forced to service same-sex "weddings" regardless of their religious beliefs.

On the matter of bathrooms and transgenders, Pew found that 51% believe they should be able to use the bathroom of the gender identity they presently identity as, 46% say transgenders should be required to use the bathroom that reflects their biological sex---3% don't know what they believe.

America, collectively, is also confused about homosexual behavior.

While most say homosexual behavior is either morally acceptable (17%) or not a moral issue (45%), only 35% of US adults believe the Bible on the matter of homosexual behavior---that it's morally wrong.

There is a growing concern among biblical Christians that the homosexual agenda is undermining religious freedom and expression. The concern is heightened by the complicity and activism of the courts, and the president and his administration.

The Colorado Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop, Inc., who was found guilty of discrimination for refusing, for religious beliefs, to make a cake for a same-sex "wedding", even though Colorado bakers may refuse to write a Bible verse on a cake without consequence.

Christian business owners here in the Northwest are experiencing the same treatment. Oregon has even told a Christian couple who owned a bakery and declined to bake a homosexual "wedding" cake that they not only must do so, but must also go through a re-education program.

They refused the government demands on the basis of their religious beliefs. After being fined $135,000 last year, the young couple has been forced to shut down their "Sweetcakes From Melissa" bakery.

The government bankrupted them because they lived out their religious beliefs.

This growing infringement on religious freedom has caused some lawmakers to attempt to protect biblical Christians and socially conservative individuals and businesses with legislation like the First Amendment Defense Act. This, as North Carolina and other states have found, draws the wrath of the "other half" on the homosexual behavior issue.

Franklin Graham wrote about his "disgust" on Facebook Monday, regarding taxpayer money going to pay for gender reassignment and hormone therapy for members of the US military.

He called Obama's actions "immoral garbage."

Franklin said, "The media keep talking about it, but to be honest with you, nobody gives a rip about Donald J. Trump's taxes. What people do care about is their own taxes. And when I read about the government spending $8.4 million per year for things like gender reassignment and hormone therapy for military personnel, I'm disgusted! Aren't you?"

Graham said, "This is the kind of immoral garbage President Obama and his administration are allowing to be put in place in our country...It just shows you how morally warped our politicians have become."

This while the Pentagon has lifted the ban on transgenders openly serving in the military as of June---against the protest of many military experts.

Jason Benham, one of the well known Christian Benham Brothers real estate business, is urging pastors, leaders and biblical Christians to speak out against the transgender "nonsense" that seeks to "brainwash" kids.

He posted a video on Facebook this week saying, "Watch this video and tell me if it doesn't make you mad?"

The video teaches little children about transgenderism.

Benham says, "This kind of nonsense has got to be called out. It has to stop. We can't let our kids be brainwashed like this."

His brother David said earlier this fall that the "NCAA [college sports] is being used by the sexual revolution, by those pushing the radical LGBTQ agenda to redefine and reshape what America looks like."

He also noted that the NBA has pulled the All Star game from Charlotte next year because of a bathroom bill North Carolina passed to protect women and girls from predator men with gender confusion.

He says the NBA is trying to "agitate" the issue with their actions.

Benham says, "They don't really care about transgender people, they don't care about all these other people that they exploit"---the brothers have said, "They want to rub an issue raw and keep agitating to push their agenda."

The Benham brothers have been speaking at churches across the country and meeting with church leaders and pastors.

They have found that while many of them agree with the brothers about the issue, and believe that God created gender, they are afraid to speak out forcefully on the issue even among their own congregation.

That's unbelievable.

Former NFL star Terry Bradshaw, long time quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers now a Fox Sports commentator, made some interesting remarks on Fox and Friends Morning Show this week.

He summed up the state of our culture from his perspective.

Bradshaw said, "I do have a problem when people in this country don't respect our flag and national anthem," ---all you have to do is look around---"the country's getting worse and worse and more immoral and we're rotting from within."

He noted, "All great empires die from within. We can't talk about Jesus. We can't mention that anymore. So we say 'I'm religious'."

Bradshaw said, "People can't talk about Jesus" so they say, "I'm religious---because if we say Jesus, you are automatically pigeonholed and kicked off the desk."

He also noted, "The two vice-presidential guys are going at it and both will be saying what? 'We're religious'."

"Everybody's religious," Bradshaw says, "What does that mean?"

That's the question all of us will be asking ourselves, if we haven't already.

The direction of the culture and the intense attack of the secular progressive warriors will ultimately force all of us to personally ask, "What does religious mean?"Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Faithful. Be Prayerful. Be Blessed.